Siege of Panormus (271)

The Siege of Panormus occurred in 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. The Roman forces loyal to Emperor Aurelian conquered Panormus (Palermo) on Sicily from the forces loyal to the pretender Quintillus, and the city's fall paved the way for the conquest of the rest of Sicily.

Background
In early 271 AD, the Roman imperial claimant Aurelian launched an invasion of Italy from the north, leading his Legio I Dacica in a march on Rome while capturing several major cities. In order to hasten his conquest of Italia, he decided to launch a multi-pronged assault on the city. As Aurelian planned to march south from Genoa, a fleet carrying Lucius Marcianus' Legio II Africana from Carthage disembarked in southern Sicily, and Marcianus decided to secure his rear flank by conquering the city of Panormus (Palermo).

Siege
Legio II Africana, which had yet to be tested in battle, laid siege to Panormus, which was defended by a garrison army and a smaller garrison fleet. Aurelian's forces assaulted the city, taking it with only 199 losses; the defenders suffered total losses, with only 154 surviving to be captured. Panormus' fall prepared Marcianus' legion to conquer the rest of the island from Quintillus' pretender forces.